COMING TO AN END OF ANOTHER EXCITING YEAR ON BARDSEY

Only two weeks to the end of 2010! Another exciting year is very nearly behind us and already we are looking forward to 2011. Bookings are starting to come in and already we have some weeks fully booked. My advice to you therefore, is, send an urgent email to our Booking Secretary, Lis Normand, over Xmas and New Year, before you find "there is no room at the inn". I have just updated the Vacancies page on the Website so you are only a couple of clicks away from choosing your week and emailing Lis (short for Alicia in case you didn't know).

Now to news from the island. Well, the population has drastically decreased and in fact, there are only seven people now living on the island over the next month or so. Three of them, of course, are our Warden Steve Stansfield (who hails from my home town Rotherham), his wonderful wife Emma (who hails from Southport on t'other side of Pennines), and of course, their son Connor (who hails from .....?) Well, his name comes from Conchobar, an Irish name meaning "Wolf Kin" or "Lover of Hounds", so my guess is he was born within the site of Ireland and they just knew he would love animals - and birds, and fish, and newts, and insects, and plants, in fact all the creatures and living things that can be found on Bardsey Island.

And we mustn't forget the other four friends who are also at present looking forward to their Xmas dinner on Bardsey - Farmer Steve and Joanna Porter and their two children, Rachael and Ben.

I just hope that the two Steve dads have swept the chimneys of the Farm house and the Observatory clean so that Santa Claus does not get his cloak dirty when he visits on Xmas Eve. And please, don't forget to leave him a drink and a mince pie. He has to make an extra effort to get out to you. Bardsey Sound is just as difficult to cross in a Sleigh as it is by boat and his Reindeer will need a drink too. Oh!, and can you please ask the cattle if they can spare a little hay for them (only the best quality mind you).

ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND VISITORS TO THE ISLAND WISH THE TWO FAMILIES ON BARDSEY A VERY MERRY XMAS and we all look forward to seeing you again in 2011.

Bardsey Crier